


The Covert Cartel

by Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat



Category: Original Work
Genre: Found Family, Gang Violence, Kidnapping, Multi, Platonic Relationships, Serious Injuries, injuries, the card and chess based gangs are not a homestuck reference
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-04
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-08 00:29:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19096048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat/pseuds/Never_Eat_Sour_Wheat
Summary: When Virginia Green went to West Unity to visit her aunt and uncle, she had no idea that she would end up being kidnapped by a gang. She had no idea that the bosses would take a liking to her. She had no idea she'd be in their ranks within the month, and no idea that she'd find a family in the little hierarchy. Or that she'd have to defend her new family with all she had. But, well, life sort of goes off the rails in your twenties, doesn't it?





	1. Chapter One

“Goodbye Mama, goodbye Papa!” A young woman called as she stood on an old train platform, waving to two figures in the distance. They waved back for a moment before they turned around and began to walk down the old dirt road. The young woman turned away from the road and stepped up onto the platform. It was a small wooden thing, with a booth in the middle and a few benches pressed up against the wall, as far away from the old, rickety railroad tracks as possible. She went up to the booth and held a ticket out to the old man inside.

“Name?” He asked, taking the ticket from her carefully.

“Virginia Green.” She replied. The old man nodded, and stamped the ticket with some official looking red ink.

“Alright Ms. Green, enjoy your time in the city.” He said cheerfully.

“Thank you!” Virginia replied, and she walked past the booth to sit on one of the benches. They were all old and moldy. She began to pick at the fraying paint as she waited for her train. There was one other person on the platform, but they held no luggage, so they were likely welcoming someone back. Despite the fact that this was a small town, Virginia didn’t know the person. This was the only train station in the county though, it was possible they were from a different town. 

She sat and waited for another half an hour, all the while wishing that she had something to entertain herself with. The book she had brought along turned out to be quite boring, and she quickly realized that she would be stuck on the long train ride without any sort of entertainment. If only her family could afford one of those carriable phones, or perhaps even a tablet. All their money was funnelled into their, slightly less dated, farming equipment. They couldn’t gain a profit if they had old fashioned equipment, but their profit was never enough for too much else. They got by fine, but there was no extra money for pleasures. 

Virginia was snapped out of her thoughts by the train pulling up to the station. She watched as two people got off, one of them going over to greet the person that had been waiting on the platform. They embraced, and even kissed. Virginia pulled a face. Luckily, her parents rarely showed physical affection to each other, she never could stand seeing that sort of thing. Still, there was no time to think on that.

She picked up her suitcase and boarded the train. She looked around and found that it was completely empty. She simply picked a compartment at random and sat down next to the window. If she really had nothing else to do, she could at least watch all the farms that went by. The train began to move just as she went to open the window, and she was knocked against the back of the seat. She huffed and sat upright before trying the window. It was locked shut, and after a moment she saw why. Thick black smoke began to rush past the top half of the window, but the bottom half was still visible. She stared out it, watching as the fields went by, some used for crops, others for livestock. 

They passed fields and small towns and livestock and crops and all manner of things. Slowly, the towns began to get bigger and more modern, filled with metal buildings instead of old log cabins. Virginia pressed her face against the glass to look out at the newer places. There were less and less fields as the train went, and the ones that were there were not being used for farming, but simply there for beauty. She began to bounce in the seat in excitement. Her layover was soon, and she was excited to ride a more modern train. After all, these old steam trains were from the early 19th century. It’d be nice to ride something from this century. The train jerked to a stop just as she had that thought and she jumped up in excitement. She rushed off the train and onto the waiting platform. 

There were a lot more people on this platform, and she felt a sudden wave of anxiety. After all, she’d never left her hometown before, and it wasn’t like new people were moving there with any frequency. Talking to new people was not a skill she got to use very often. 

“Alright Virginia,” She muttered to herself. “This is just a chance to expand that skill! Just find someone and say hi.” She scanned the platform, looking for any friendly faces. She found one in another young woman sitting by herself on one of the many benches. She worked her way through the crowd to the young woman. “Hi! I’m Virginia!” She said, stiffly holding a hand out. The woman looked up from her phone and smiled awkwardly.

“Hey. I’m Zoey.” She replied. She didn’t shake Virginia’s hand, but she did pat the spot on the bench next to her. “You can sit here if you want.” Virginia hopped at the chance and sat next to her. Zoey went back to her phone, and Virginia kicked her feet awkwardly back and forth. After a moment, Zoey tucked her phone away with a small sigh. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to seem insocial, but my girlfriend was texting me,” she said, turning to face Virginia now. Virginia smiled at her, and waved it off.

“That’s alright! What’s she like?” Most of the girls back home loved to talk about their boyfriends, so she figured talking about a girlfriend wouldn’t be much different.

“She’s....well, she’s a handful sometimes. She works a kind of dangerous job, so I worry about her a lot, but she’s been doing it for years so she knows what she’s doing.” Zoey got an faraway look in her eyes when she spoke about her girlfriend, but it was somehow different from the looks the girls back home got when they talked about their boyfriends. “What about you? Have you got anyone in your life?”

“Romantically? Oh, no.” Virginia said, shaking her head slightly. “There’s not a whole lot of options back home, and well...I’m honestly not that interested in people, you know? Romance isn’t something I find particularly interesting.” Zoey nodded along, looking thoughtful. 

“Well, as long as you’re happy the way you are, who cares?” She said.

“Exactly!” Virginia replied, excited. So few people had accepted her answer before, and definitely not in the chill way that Zoey had. “What train are you taking?” 

“The A train to West Unity. What about you?”

“Same! We could ride together!” Virginia exclaimed. She got a few weird looks, but neither girl seemed to notice.

“Sure! I’ve never really had a travel buddy before, and it’d be nice to get away from Josephine’s horrendous texting for a while. I mean, really, I can’t understand her half the time,” Zoey said, and Virginia chuckled. “Have you ever rode the metro before?”

“Nope, never! I’m from Elkhorn, I’ve only ever ridden steam trains.” She replied. Zoey’s eyes widened.

“Oh man, aren’t those dangerous? They’re so outdated…”

“Just cuz they’re old doesn’t mean they aren’t well kept! They have a bunch of the old technology, but there’s backup modern stuff in case anything fails.” Virginia explained. “They’re really cool, you’ve got to try riding one sometime. They’re a little jerky, but so worth it.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” 

Just as Zoey spoke, a train pulled into the station at lightning speed. A message went by on a screen mounted above them, so fast that Virginia couldn’t make out what it said. “C’mon, this is us.” Zoey stood up and shuffled with the crowd towards the train. Virginia hopped up and fell in line behind her. The crowd began to close in tight, and Virginia took a few deep breaths to try and steady herself. It helped a little, but a man knocked into her and she almost let go of her suitcase. She gripped it so tightly her knuckles went pale. A hand suddenly took hers and she jerked her head to look, only to find Zoey, smiling at her kindly. She smiled back gratefully. “I got you girl. Just focus on breathing.” Virginia nodded and did as she was told. 

Soon enough, they were inside the train, which was a lot bigger on the inside than it looked on the outside. Zoey led her towards a row of empty seats and sat her down by the window before taking the seat next to her. They stayed in silence as people pushed past them further into the train. Virginia had a death grip on Zoey’s hand, and the other woman would squeeze back on occasion. She didn’t seem to mind how tight the grip was, or even that she was holding hands with a practical stranger. Virginia focused on her breathing still, breathing in for seven counts and out for eleven. She calmed down just as the train began to move, and she barely noticed it had at first because of how smooth it was. She blushed slightly and let go of Zoey’s hand.

“Sorry.” She muttered.

“Don’t worry about it!” Zoey replied chipperly. “Wanna talk about something to get your mind off of it?” 

“Yeah. Can you tell me some about West Unity? You sounded like you’d been there before, and you definitely know more about crowds and stuff.” 

“Well, there’s a whole lot of people. And I mean a lot. If you’re anxious in crowds, you’re going to have to adjust quick, or carry a stress ball everywhere. There’s lots of signs, and in the market district there’s people who will try to get you into stores. They go away easy enough though, so I wouldn’t worry about them too much. Where are you staying?”

“With my aunt and uncle. They own a little cafe, but I don’t think it’s in the market district. Maybe somewhere nearby?” 

“You don’t know where they are?” Zoey asked, shocked.

“I have their address!” Virginia quickly defended herself. “I just don’t know where it is in relation to anything else.” She handed Zoey a little paper that had an address jotted down on it, along with the name of the store. 

“Black and White Cafe? Is it themed after old timey stuff?”

“No, it’s chess themed. There’s the King’s Menu, the Queen’s Menu, and the childrens menu is called “Little Pawns”.” Virginia explained. 

“Aw, that’s so cute!” Zoey gushed. She glanced at the card again. “Well, the good news is that this isn’t in the market district, so you won’t have people on the street stopping you for anything. I hope you’re good with hungry toddlers though. Trust me, they can be a real handful.” 

“Oh! Do you have any kids?” Virginia asked. Zoey choked on something and began to cough loudly. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, should I not have asked?” Virginia began to pat her on the back and Zoey managed to clear her throat, although her face was still very red.

“No, no, it’s okay.” She said, her voice much quieter than before. “No, Jo and I don’t have kids.” 

“I’m sorry, I just assumed since...well, you seemed so sure and…” Virginia trailed off, not wanting to make the conversation anymore awkward than it already was. 

“I’m a nurse, I work with all sorts of patients, including children.” Zoey explained.

“Ooooh, that makes sense.” Virginia nodded.

They sat in an awkward silence for a little while. 

“So...if you’re a nurse, what’s the weirdest way someone has gotten injured?”

“One guy that came in had an infected cut on his lip that he got from…” Zoey giggled and lowered her voice. “He got it from trying something...mature with his robot boyfriend.” She kept giggling, but Virginia just stared at her in shock. “What?”

“I didn’t know that robots and humans dated each other.” Virginia said. Zoey suddenly scooted away from her a little, looking a little upset. 

“I don’t have a problem with it,” Virginia said quickly. “I just...I didn’t know that was a thing that happened? I mean, there’s only one robot in the entirety of Elkhorn, and he’s very dedicated to his work. And with farm work, there’s always something to do.” 

Zoey nodded and scooted back over. “Yeah, humans and robots date each other all the time. These two guys, I know them pretty well, they’ve been together for a really long time. Right before I left they got engaged, so they’re probably married now actually.” 

“Aw, how cute! Well, tell them I give them my wishes!” Virginia said, suddenly excited. If there were humans and robots dating in West Unity, there was no telling what other wonderful things there might be waiting for her. Apparently one of those things was a whole lot more robots, which she wouldn’t mind. Cobol back home was a fun guy when you could manage to pull him away from his work. 

“I will. We’re almost at the station, and I’m heading in the opposite direction of you, so I guess this is goodbye.” Zoey said. Virginia nodded, feeling a little sad. They’d only known each other for maybe an hour and a half, but they had really hit it off. “I can give you my phone number, if you want?” Zoey looked just as sad to be moving on.

“I don’t have a phone, but I might be able to use my aunt and uncle’s!” Virginia said, a little bit of hope in her heart. Zoey grinned and took out a pen. She wrote her number on the scrap of paper that had Virginia’s aunt and uncle’s address on it before handing it back. “Thank you! I’ll call you if I can.”

“I’ll answer any unknown callers for a week, but then you’re out of luck. I don’t wanna pick up to every telemarketer for the rest of my life.” Zoey said jokingly. Virginia nodded along even though she had no idea what a telemarketer was. The train slowly but smoothly came to a halt and both women got up. They exited the train and Virginia had to stop to look around.

Everywhere around them were screens, half of them with information about the stops, half of them colorful advertisements. The crowd was even thicker here, but it was a beautiful mix of people. A few of them robots, some of them children, all of them in a rush to get some place or another. The lighting was a light blue, but it was beginning to change, and Virginia realized that the lights didn’t stay as one color for very long. It faded from one color to another slowly, the faces of the people who went by changing with them. She saw a man angrily yelling at his phone as it was red, a child laughing as it was yellow, a couple arguing as it was green, a woman crying as it was blue, a teen with a content look as it was purple, a whole range of emotions all set out by a different color. The crowd rushed around her like a river, none of them stopping to take in the country girl whose eyes were being opened to a whole new reality. Virginia turned to Zoey, who was smiling at her.

“It’s wonderful…” She whispered, and Zoey just smiled wider. 

“Virginia, my friend, you’ve just fallen in love.”


	2. Chapter Two

Zoey gave Virginia some vague directions before they parted ways, and she began to walk the streets, paying close attention to the signs. Still, there were so many new things to look at that she found herself distracted fairly easily. She had almost run into people several times while wandering the streets. The city was full of lights and beautifully built skyscrapers. Some had holes in the middle, some had floors that floated about other floors, some were much older and more traditional, just a simple asymmetrical building, almost like stairs. 

There was all sorts of interesting people, but most of the ones that caught her eye were robots. They were all different kinds, she hadn’t seen a single two that looked exactly the same. Some had screens on their heads or chests, some had very obvious optical areas, some had mouths, some had visible speakers, some were wandering around without clothes, some were so bundled up she hadn’t even realized they were robots at first. As she was marveling at everything that had been going on around her, she wasn’t watching where she was going and ran into someone.

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” She said quickly. The stranger looked angry, but only for a moment. A smile slowly made its way onto their face.

“Don’t worry about it dollface!” They said in a far too friendly voice. It made Virginia slightly uncomfortable, but she still smiled at them them. “You look a bit lost, is there any way I can help?”

“Actually, yes! I’m looking for The Black and White Cafe, you wouldn’t happen to know where that is, would you?” She asked. The stranger may seem creepy, but they still might be able to help her.

“I do! As a matter of fact, I’m heading there myself! I’d be delighted to show you!” They said, offering her a hand. Virginia glanced between their hand and their face, and after a moment they put their hand back at their side. “Name’s Alex, it’s nice to meet you.” 

She just nodded. 

“Well, I guess we’d better get going!” Alex started down the street and Virginia followed at a small distance.

As they went she began to grow anxious. Her mama and papa had warned her that the city was very different from their little town. They had said that not every stranger she would meet would be kind. Sure, there was an oddball or two back home as well, but everyone knew who they were. Even if you did go with them, there weren’t that many places they could take you that wouldn’t be checked soon. 

But here in the city? Here was any number of dark alleys someone could pull you into. Still, Alex wasn’t holding her in any way, and aside from the occasional glance behind them, they seemed to not care much about whether she was following them or not. She didn’t let herself get distracted this time, keeping on her toes. 

Soon enough, a small building came into view. It was more similar to some of the more modern things in Elkhorn than everything else around them. There was large block lettering above the double doors that read “The Black and White Cafe” with each word in its own color while the word “Cafe” was striped. 

“Here we are!” Alex said, stepping forward to hold the door open. “Ladies first!” Virginia smiled and entered her family’s cafe.

The inside was nice and cozy feeling, with nice lighting and several tables of all different sizes. As she looked closer she realized that the tables were set up like a chess board, with the largest being the queen tables, and the smallest being the pawn tables. The colors were split right down the middle, the right side black and the left side white. There were some families sitting at different tables, one at one of the white knights, and the other at one of the black rooks. There was a large counter on the opposite side of the large room, and Virginia recognized her uncle behind it.

“Uncle Henry!” She called, rushing up to the counter. Uncle Henry smiled at her over the oven he was standing in front of. “It’s so good to see you!”

“You as well dear! Did you have a good trip? You’ll have to tell me all about it later tonight. We live upstairs, and the stairs are back here in the kitchen. Your aunt is up there, she’ll help you get settled in.” He gestured behind him. 

Virginia nodded and headed for the gate in the counter. She was going to rush up the stairs fast to stay out of the way, but she caught Alex walking up to the counter, looking rather smug. 

“Alex.” Her uncle greeted, sounding bitter.

“Where’s the payment Henry? You’re a week late,” they said, and Virginia felt a chill run down her spine. Something about their voice was so cold. What kind of landlord talked to their tenants like that?

“I’m not paying your organization anymore. We can protect ourselves just fine thank you very much,” Uncle Henry said, sounding both frightened and dismissive at the same time. Alex’s face had a flash of anger again, but it was quickly replaced by an odd smile. 

“Well, I can’t make you pay. Not yet at least. Sleep with one eye open. Or two, if you know what’s good for you.” They turned on their heel and waved over their shoulder before leaving the cafe. Virginia realized she was holding her breath and let it out in a small sigh. Uncle Henry turned to look at her and smiled awkwardly.

“Don’t worry about that dear, we’ve just got an eccentric ex security company,” he said, turning back to the customers. Virginia nodded slowly before rushing up the stairs. She couldn’t help the thoughts that were circling in her head. 

Alex had definitely sounded threatening, and what they said was definitely serious there was no avoiding that. Uncle Henry had said that they could take care of themselves, but he had sounded frightened. Surely her aunt and uncle had gotten new security after leaving the old company. They wouldn’t just leave their cafe out for criminals like that. It was all they had, and it was directly attached to their house. 

She took a deep breath and nodded to herself. Yeah, they wouldn’t just leave everything out in the lurch like that. When she had reached the top of the steps she felt better. 

“Virginia, dear! It’s so nice to see you again!” Aunt Linda was waiting for her at the top of the steps. She grinned and walked right into Aunt Linda’s open arms. “I missed you so much!”

“I missed you more!” She joked. Aunt Linda laughed and squeezed her tight. 

“You’ve grown so much since I last saw you. I’m sorry we can’t get away from the cafe more to see you, but the older we get the less we get to see our family. Such is life.” She sounded just the slightest bit sad. Virginia smiled wistfully at her, but they both tried to put those thoughts fast behind them. 

“Come with me dear, I’ll show you your room.” Aunt Linda took her down the hall and opened up a green door.

The room itself was rather small, with a twin sized bed pushed against one wall and a dresser sitting opposite it. Between the dresser and bed was a wide window, pushed up so the lower half was just a screen. The wallpaper was a yellow and white checkered pattern, and the dresser and bed frame were both the same emerald green as the door. Virginia took a good look around the homey room, finding that she quite liked it. She set her suitcase down on the dresser and turned back to Aunt Linda. 

“It’s beautiful, thank you so much!” She said, giving her aunt another hug. Aunt Linda just squeezed her.

“I’m so glad you like it dear. You’re welcome to stay up here for today, but were going to ask that you help in the cafe tomorrow. You’ve got to earn your keep after all!” She said, laughing a little. Virginia nodded and went to sit on the bed. “Oh, and please keep the window open! We have air conditioning of course, but a natural cool upstairs is so much nicer.” She nodded and blew her one last kiss before her aunt went back downstairs. Virginia got up and went over to the dresser. 

She zipped open her suitcase and began to unpack it. Simple dresses and overall suits with bright shirts was her wardrobe. It all fit in the dresser easily enough and she took her toiletries down to the bathroom. She pulled out her book again to try and find some entertainment, but it held none. After a while of trying to nap, she decided to go downstairs. She was only halfway down the stairs when Uncle Henry called for her anyways.

“Virginia!”

“Yes Uncle Henry?” She asked, coming up behind him quickly.

“One of our waitresses called in sick. You wouldn’t mind taking her place, would you?” He asked. 

“We were just going to ask you to take up the job tomorrow anyways,” Aunt Linda said. Virginia smiled and nodded.

“I’d love to.” 

“Great! Pick up one of the aprons off to the side and get to bussing tables!” Uncle Henry said, sounding all too jolly about it. Virginia made her way over to the gate in the counter and grabbed an apron that had been hung up on a hook. She tied it around her waist and went out into the restaurant. The two families that had been at the tables were gone, and the tables were dirty in their wake. She began to gather dishes and took them back to the kitchen, throwing away any trash as she did.

She continued that way for the rest of the day, bussing tables, and occasionally explaining to customers that they could order at the counter. By the end of the day she was exhausted, and had no problem sleeping.  
For the next two days she didn’t do anything particularly different, but she still found working in her family’s cafe interesting. But on the fourth day, finally, something interesting happened.

“Hello Mr. Green!” A high voice called from the front door. Uncle Henry and Aunt Linda looked over and their faces lit up. 

“Hello Ruby! It’s wonderful to have you back,” Aunt Linda said, coming out from behind the counter. Virginia looked up from the table she’d been bussing, and couldn’t help grinning. A short, stout, red robot stood by the front door. She had perfect human eyes that glowed ever so slightly, but her body was far from humanity. She was built like a rounded cube, and she moved on the rollers. Aunt Linda went over to hug her, and a pair of thick, darker red appendages came out what would have been her chest and hugged back. She nodded towards Virginia. “This is our niece Virginia, she’s been bussing tables in your absence."

“Hi!” Virginia said, holding out her hand. Ruby ignored it in favor of going in for a hug. “Oh!” Virginia returned it awkwardly, but luckily Ruby pulled away quickly.

“Hello Virginia! It’s wonderful to meet you!” Ruby said. As she spoke, Virginia realized that she, too, had a southern accent. She hadn’t heard one at all since she had come to West Unity, and for some reason, it made her feel a little more affection for the robot in front of her. “You can go back to exploring the city now that I’m here.”

“Oh, no, I don’t think she should,” Aunt Linda said, a little too fast. “You’ve been working so hard before she came, Ruby, and she’s gotten quite fast at bussing tables. I’d love to see you two race.” Virginia brushed off how quickly her aunt spoke and nodded.

“I’d love to have a work buddy, and I don’t mind working. It’s kind of fun! I can explore the city some other time. Maybe we can do it together so I’m not just wandering around on my own!” She suggested. Ruby’s eyes lit up at that. Literally. 

“I’d love to show you around sometime!” She said. A customer cleared their throat and Aunt Linda jumped slightly. 

“You’ll have to do that some other time girls, there’s work to be done!” She said, before rushing over to the counter. Virginia nodded and set her mind back to work.

* * *

“Virginia? Have you noticed anything off lately?” Ruby asked her about a week later. It was the middle of a slow spell and the two of them were standing off to the side of the restaurant. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well, Mr. Green and Linda have seemed a bit off. They’ll be whispering about stuff, and then act all innocent if they catch my eye. And, well… I’ve seen some weird people coming and going. Some of them are wearing suit jackets, but nothing else of suits, and some of them are wearing leather jackets and tight pants. I think...I think they might be part of the gangs around here.”

“Gangs?!?” Virginia shouted accidentally. Ruby shushed her, and luckily it seemed that no one had heard her. Or, at least, they didn’t seem to react. “There’s gangs around here?”

 

“There’s gangs all over the city. The big ones are The Uncalled Four and The Covert Cartel. We’re in the cartel’s area, but around here it's generally pretty safe. It’s in the middle of their terph, so it’s not like there’s going to be any shootouts between them and other gangs around," Ruby explained. “It’s not too much to worry about, it’s just probably best to keep your eyes open. Just look out for any suspicious looking people.” Virginia nodded, and Ruby went off to a table that a family had just finished up at. 

All throughout that week, she kept her eyes peeled. Sure enough, she saw plenty of suspicious people, including ones like Ruby had described. They all seemed to be watching her back, following her with their eyes. She was afraid that they were checking her out at first, but she soon began to realize that they were sizing her up in a different way. Still, they all left without saying a word. They never ordered anything either. Uncle Henry and Aunt Linda looked at each other oddly every now and again, but they didn’t say anything, and if Ruby didn’t think it was important enough, Virginia wasn’t going to bring it up. 

But the really scary part came when she noticed one she recognized. And even worse, they spoke to her.

“Hey, dollface!” 

Virginia hadn’t seen the person walk up behind her, so she whipped around, surprised. There stood Alex, grinning up a storm. A group of odd looking men dressed in black were watching the two of them from the black rook table. “I’m so glad I could run into you again!”

“H-hey Alex,” She replied, shakily. She was beginning to realize what the threat they had made to her uncle may have been about.

“You know, I don’t think I ever really caught your name," they mused, leaning on the table so she couldn’t see behind them where the men were watching them. She didn’t need to see to know that they were there. She decided that giving Alex her name would be a very bad idea.

“Carolina,” she said quickly. Alex nodded, but their smile turned grim.

“Don’t lie to me Virginia. You’re a smart girl, you’ve probably figured this out. And right now, you’re in the line of fire. I want to help you out, I like you. So keep your head down and stop working in this damn cafe. Find work somewhere that actually pays their protection money,” they said, and Virginia felt that chill go down her spine again. Alex turned on their heel and headed back towards the black rook table. "Ciao!"

Immediately, Virginia rushed behind the counter and up the stairs. She heard her aunt call after her, but she ignored it. She ran into her room, shut the emerald door tight and held it shut. She tried to even her breathing. She’d only been in West Unity for a week, but she was beginning to see that it wasn’t very unified.


End file.
